1^st Global
Ecosystems Atlas Convening Meeting

Welcome

Opening Session

Chair: Yana Gevorgyan

Interventions

• H.E. Khadeeja Naseem, Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, President’s Office, Republic of Maldives
• H.E. Vaimu’a Muliava, Member of Government in charge of innovation and digital transformation, Government of New Caledonia
• Jillian Campbell, Head of Monitoring, Review and Reporting, Convention on Biological Diversity
• Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Barron Orr, Chief Scientist, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• Musonda Mumba, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• Mmboneni Muofhe, Lead Co-Chair, Group on Earth Observations

Introductions by participants

Session 1: Vision and Objectives of the Global Ecosystems Atlas

Chair: Marco Lambertini

Presentations

• GEO Rationale: Why the Atlas, Why Now, and Why GEO? Yana Gevorgyan
• Understanding the demand:
  • Global and national policy needs
    • System of Environmental Economic Accounting, UN Statistics Division, Alessandra Alfieri
    • South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Vani Koroisamanunu
  • Business and finance needs
    • Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), James d’Ath
    • Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), Marco Daldoss Pirri

Interactive discussion via guiding questions in Slido

• What excites you about the Atlas?
• What is absolutely critical to get right in designing the Atlas?

Summary of Session 1 by Chair

Session 2: Building Blocks: Exploring the minimum requirements for the Atlas

Chair: Daniel Juhn

Presentations (30 min)

• Classifying Ecosystems: the Global Ecosystem Typology (GET), David Keith & Angela Andrade, IUCN CEM
• Approaches to Mapping Ecosystem Extent, Roger Sayre, USGS
• A national perspective on classifying ecosystem types and mapping ecosystem extent, Mandy Driver, South Africa

Interactive discussion via guiding questions (90 min)

• What are the minimum set of requirements for the Atlas and what are the challenges and opportunities developing it?
• Can existing approaches and products help us achieve these minimum requirements

Session 2: Building Blocks (cont.)

Reception in Honour of the Global Ecosystems Atlas sponsored by the Villars Institute, Location To Be Announced

Session 2: Building Blocks (cont.)

Chair: Daniel Juhn

Panel discussion: Starting with what exists 

• Global Forest Watch, Rod Taylor, WRI
• Global Mangrove Watch, Ake Rosenqvist
• Allen Coral Reef Atlas, Paulina Martin, ASU
• MERMAID, Emily Darling, WCS
• ESA, Marc Paganini

Interactive discussion via guiding questions

• What can we learn from your experience in mapping different ecosystem types and extent?

Summary of Session 2 by Chair

Session 3: Building the Product

Chair: Corli Pretorius

Panel discussion 3.a: VHR data and Artificial Intelligence (60 min)

• NASA, Cindy Schmidt
• Planet, Amy Rosenthal
• Maxar, Sook Yee Loh
• Airbus, Dimitri Boulze
• Microsoft, Trevor Dhu
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Rajeev Jaiswal

Guiding questions

• As we push the boundaries of mapping to increasingly finer scales, what role do you see VHR and AI playing in enabling us to capture the necessary level of detail and accuracy, including in areas where data may be missing or incomplete.
• What challenges and limitations should we be aware of.

Panel discussion 3.b: technology as an accelerator (60 min)

• Climate Engine, Bobby Shackleton
• WWF, Paolo Tibaldeschi
• SparkGeo, Will Cadell
• Esri, Sean Breyer
• ARIES for SEEA, Ferdinando Villa

Guiding questions

• How can latest data analytics and software development and open AI accelerate the fit-for-purpose development of the Atlas.
• What partnerships and collaborations can be formed to deliver the Atlas as a digital public good.

Summary of Session 3 by Chair

Session 4: The Collaborative Process

Chairs: Yana Gevorgyan and Robert Filipp

Presentations (30 min)

• The importance of getting it done at accelerated pace for 30x30, GBF stocktake - Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO
• Recap, proposed next steps and big events, key requirements for working arrangements, funding and other resource needs - GEO Secretariat

Discussion via guiding questions

• What are the next steps for the Atlas development?
• What are the big events that we are targeting to promote the Atlas?
• What are the key requirements for working arrangements to develop the Atlas going forward?
• What funding and other resources are needed to develop the Atlas within the timeline, and how can we secure them?

Summary of Session 4 by Chair

Concluding Remarks and Next Steps, Yana Gevorgyan

Informal Consultations on Working Arrangements, Governance, Second Convening